The origin of solar terms in summer heat
Great summer heat is one of the 24 solar terms. Between July 22nd and 24th every year, the sun arrives at the longitude of the Yellow River 120 degrees. The summer solar term also belongs to the midsection stage, which is the hottest stage every year.
Ancient prose records that "in the middle of June, we can see the slight summer heat" and "the fifteenth day after the slight summer heat means that it is not a great summer heat, and it is in the middle of June. Those who are small and big are extremely hot, and they are divided into sizes. At first, they are small, and after looking, they are big. " Therefore, many ancient Chinese texts have talked about the solar terms in the great summer heat. In ancient China, the great summer heat was divided into three periods: "The rotten grass was firefly; Second, wait for the soil to moisten the summer heat; When it rains, it will be fine. " There are more than 2,000 species of fireflies in the world, which are divided into aquatic and terrestrial species. Terrestrial fireflies lay eggs on hay, and when it is hot, fireflies ovulate, so the ancients thought that fireflies were made from rotten grass. The second weather is that the weather is getting muggy and the land is wet. The third weather is that there are often heavy thunderstorms, and this heavy rain weakens the heat and humidity, and the weather begins to transition to beginning of autumn.
I believe everyone knows that "the heat is in the dog days". The summer heat is generally in the middle stage of three volts. At this time, most parts of China are in the hottest stage of the year, and the temperature difference across the country is not big. Isn't there a proverb: "cold is in March 9, heat is in the middle." It's even hotter in the summer than in the summer. In1971~ 2000 Surface Climate Data of China, we can see from the statistics of extreme maximum temperature in August of _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ that some provinces and regions have extreme maximum temperature values in July in late July, and most provinces and regions have extreme maximum temperature values in August in early August, which happens to be in the summer of next July and August.
The summer heat is also the season with the most thunderstorms. As the saying goes, "There is no drop in the east, and it will rain in the west", which means that in summer, if lightning appears in the east, it will generally not rain, but if lightning appears in the west, it will rain soon.
Custom activities of solar terms in summer heat
Boil mutton wine
That is, "eat mutton and drink soju" in the dog days, "eat soup and cake in the sun, take a towel to wipe the sweat, and look Jiao Ran." The soup cake here is steaming mutton noodles. Even today, it is still popular in Fengxian, Jinshan and Minhang in Shanghai. This is based on the theory of traditional Chinese medicine, which holds that people should adapt to the change of weather in summer, and nourishing the yang should focus on nourishing the heart, which can not only supplement nutrition, but also strengthen the heart by drinking more milk, eating more soy products, chicken and lean meat. Yang-hot qi of the heart not only maintains its own physiological function, but also has a warming effect on the whole body. Water-liquid metabolism and sweat regulation of the human body are inseparable from the important role of the heart-yang.
Eat "Xiancao" in the summer.
In southern Guangdong and Hong Kong, there is a custom of "eating fairy grass" in summer. Xiancao, also known as Mesona blume and Xiancao, is an important medicinal and edible plant resource. Because of its magical summer-heat effect, it is known as "Xiancao". After the stems and leaves are dried in the sun, they can be made into grass jelly, which is called bean jelly in Guangdong, and it is a kind of summer dessert. Folk proverb: Eat fairy grass in the summer of June, live like a fairy and never get old. Chiffodil is one of the famous snacks in Taiwan Province. It can be eaten cold or hot. The appearance and taste of grass jelly are similar to another popular snack in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao, and it also has the effect of clearing away heat and toxic materials. But this food is taboo for pregnant women.
Send a "summer boat"
This is a traditional folk custom in the coastal areas of Zhejiang, especially in many fishing villages in Taizhou. Its significance is to send the "five saints" out of the sea to protect the people from the heat. When sending the "Summer Boat", a series of blessing ceremonies were held, accompanied by colorful folk art performances. Subsequently, this "summer boat" was pulled out of the fishing port by fishing boats, and then lit on the sea, letting it rise and fall, in order to wish people a bumper harvest and a healthy life.
Eating litchi "over the summer heat"
People in Putian, Fujian have the custom of eating lychee, mutton and rice grains during the summer heat, which is called "over the summer heat". Litchi contains glucose and multivitamins, which are nutritious, so eating fresh litchi can nourish the body. First, soak fresh litchi in cold well water, and take it out to taste as soon as the summer arrives. Eating litchi at this moment is the most pleasant and nourishing. Therefore, some people say that eating litchi in summer is as high as eating ginseng.
Misha
In some places, rice is mixed with white rice koji to ferment and ripen thoroughly; On the summer day, cut it into pieces and add some brown sugar to cook.
Dietary principles of summer heat
1, eat fruit every day.
Fruit is an important source of vitamin C, carotene, B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and dietary fiber. Different fruits have different nutritional contents, so add carotene and choose red and yellow fruits such as mango, citrus, papaya and hawthorn. Jujube, orange, grapefruit, kiwifruit and other fruits have high vitamin C content. Banana, jujube, red fruit and longan have higher potassium content.
In addition, fruit contains organic acids such as fruit acid, citric acid and malic acid, which can promote the secretion of digestive juice, stimulate appetite and help digestion.
2, often eat fresh beans.
There are many kinds of fresh beans in summer, including cowpea, edamame, green bean, broad bean, lentil and Dutch bean. Fresh beans have comprehensive nutrition and diverse eating methods. Soybeans and broad beans can be boiled and eaten directly, and cowpeas can be cooked with sesame sauce and other cold dishes.
3. Drink more soup and replenish water.
You can prepare mung bean soup, sour plum soup, etc. at home, and you can also make dried rice and winter melon soup and lotus root sparerib soup.
4. Eat dark vegetables every day.
The colors of vegetables are deep and light, and the nutritional value of dark vegetables is generally better than that of light vegetables. Dark vegetables are rich in carotene, and also contain chlorophyll, lutein, lycopene, anthocyanins and other healthy substances. Spinach, celery leaves, water spinach, broccoli, watercress, chrysanthemum, tomato, carrot, pumpkin, red amaranth, purple cabbage, etc.
According to the taste and color of vegetables, we can make vegetable salad with tomatoes, kale and carrots, which is rich in color and unique in taste, promotes appetite, and supplements vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber and phytochemicals.